How holy infancy With its mysterious glee, And childhood with its mirth Which only One can fully read, Shall in the Father's kingdom reap the seed When He who bought them with His blood Åre of those solemn mysteries Which wait us in the skies. But this is granted to our longing eyes Heaven's mansions (so Eternal Love hath will'd) With children and with child-like saints are fill'd. And when we dimly faintly realize The numbers without number, The multitudinous throng From every kindred, tribe, and tongue, Pass the pearl gates of Paradise, What eye can count the wavelets of that sea The sapphire throne of God? What though each little voice Upon the harp of all creation's praise, What if one infant's treble in that chant Be but the smallest flute-voiced reed, A thousand times ten thousand multiplied, Shall be as many waters, or the roll True, there are grand and noble chords Deep toned and vibrating to loftiest words: Who loved to mark In chronicles above the sky, These pipes of heaven's great organ, cast Responsive to the Spirit's gentlest breath Still echoing Jehovah saith, And uttering things new and old In tones alike submissive and sublime, Not in dispraise of them The leaders of our militant array Things great and small For an eternity of bliss above. The hills must have their heathery bloom The sun must glisten in the dews, And heaven, with all its choirs Of saints and angels link'd in tune Needs mid her throug of worshippers And singing, for they cannot choose but sing Are in their weakness strong And perfect heaven's harmonious song So, happy mother, quaff The cup of joy that overflows the brim, Which whispers more than words can speak, Are no mere idle dreams, Of better things to come, Where seraphs veil their faces with their wings In the calm glory of the Father's home. THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER Lessons: Isaiah xxxv., xxxviii., xl. THE COLLECT. ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us Thy only begotten Son to take our nature upon Him, and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made Thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by Thy Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen. "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand for ever."-Isaiah xl. 8. O God, the Rock of Ages, Of things that soon are old. |